Department of Physics

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Department of Physics

The department of physics started in 2017 and has been growing in size and scope to encompass a number of contemporary research areas. Our key focus research areas currently are Condensed Matter Physics (Soft and Hard), Biophysics, Astrophysics, Cosmology and Quantum Field theory. Please refer to the faculty profile pages for more information on the research interests of our faculty members.

Our PhD program in physics was initiated in 2020. We aim to select motivated and committed students with a passion for research and to train them to be active and independent researchers.

Our undergraduate physics program provides a solid grounding  in the traditional core undergraduate physics curriculum and also an opportunity for students to pursue more eclectic interests in the sciences or beyond. Besides pursuing higher studies in physics, students get the necessary training and skills which can be used in other scientific fields and interdisciplinary endeavors.

The details of courses (graduate and undergraduate) taught at the physics department can be found here.

Programmes

Undergraduate Program in Physics

Physics is many things to many people. It is a doorway to some of the most beautiful and…

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Ashoka Scholars Programme in Physics

Ashoka University offers a year-long Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research (DipASR) to students who have completed…

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Axis Bank PhD Program at Physics Department

The Department of Physics at Ashoka University periodically invites applications for its Ph.D. program. Information about PhD recruitment…

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Physics Faculty

The department of Physics has faculty members working on a wide rage of topics including Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, Soft Matter Systems, Biophysics, Cosmology and Quantum Field Theory.

Somendra M. Bhattacharjee

Professor of Physics Ashoka University

Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University

Dipankar Bhattacharya

Head of the Department, Physics, Sunanda and Santimay Basu Professor of Astrophysics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Suratna Das

Assistant Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad

Pramoda Kumar

Assistant Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. CeNS, Bangalore

Gautam Menon
Gautam Menon

Dean, Research and Professor of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Garima Mishra

Assistant Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Amin A. Nizami

Associate Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. University of Cambridge

Bikram Phookun

Dean, Academic Affairs and Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. University of Maryland

Somak Raychaudhury

Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. in Astrophysics, University of Cambridge

Susmita Saha
Susmita Saha

Assistant Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. S. N. Bose National Center for Basic Science, India

Vikram Vyas

Visiting Faculty of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Boston University

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Sanjay Jain

Visiting Faculty of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

Sujan Sengupta

Visiting Professor of Physics, Ashoka University

Ph.D. Indian Institute of Astrophysics

Kandaswamy Subramanian

Visiting Professor of Astrophysics, Ashoka University

Ph. D. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (University of Bombay)

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Research

Astrophysics and Cosmology (Theoretical/Observational/Computational)

Astrophysics is a branch of space science that uses the principles of physics and chemistry to understand the universe. It explores the birth, life, and death of stars, galaxies, planets, and other cosmic objects, as well as the fundamental nature of space and time. Cosmology is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos.The aim of cosmology is to apply laws of physics to the universe as a whole. Observations tell us that the universe is neither eternal nor static, and therefore it raises questions as to when and how did the universe start? What did it look like in the past? How will it evolve in the future? Astrophysics is closely related to astronomy and cosmology, often working in collaboration to address complex questions about the universe.

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Quantum Physics (Theoretical)

Quantum Field theory is a well-tested framework describing nature across a wide range of length / energy scales, with diverse applications across Particle Physics, Cosmology, Condensed Matter Physics and other areas of physics. Within this domain, the work in the department has focussed on Conformal Quantum Field Theories of different kinds - relativistic, non-relativistic and supersymmetric. Also under active investigation are topics spanning Quantum information and Quantum many-body theory. In particular, recent work has focussed on quantum complexity measures with a view towards the study of chaos in non-integrable quantum dynamics.

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Condensed Matter Physics and Biophysics

Research in condensed matter physics explores the physical properties of matter in regimes where the interactions between constituent particles are significant enough to lead to collective behaviour. Modern condensed matter physics, both experimental and theoretical, includes quantum mechanical systems as well as systems that can be understood largely through classical physics. It includes the study of magnetism, semiconductors and superconductors, focusing on elucidating fundamental phenomena including collective excitations, topological order, and quantum phase transitions. Soft condensed matter physics, sometimes called the physics of complex fluids, investigates materials that are easily deformable. Such systems exhibit novel and often nonlinear flow properties. They include polymers, colloids, gels, fluids and liquid crystals. These can be modeled using tools of statistical mechanics.

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Abstract: Even in the absence of photons, quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic are predicted to exist within the framework of quantum field theory. The so-called Casimir effect, which refers to the attractive force between two metallic plates, is typically attributed to the existence of the same quantum fluctuations. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to the concept of decoherence, and the role it plays in explaining the quantum-to-classical transition of the macroscopic world. I will then suggest possible ways to measure decoherence effects due to the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. The eventual experimental detection of this decoherence effect might offer to provide new ways to test other subtle predictions of quantum field theory.


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Abstract: We will discuss various applications of machine learning in the healthcare sector. After an introductory review covering applications from across the field, we will describe our recent work on predicting the birth weight of a fetus from ultrasound measurements (collaborative work with Uma Ram, obstetrician/gynaecologist; C Kumari, GI Menon, L Narlikar).  We will also discuss the problem of data sharing and patient confidentiality in medicine, and describe one possible alternative, sharing synthetic data generated to mimic essential characteristics of real data. We will describe an algorithm, MMMSynth, for this, which outperforms deep-learning-based algorithms (with C. Kumari).



About the Speaker: Dr. Rahul Siddharthan is a Professor of Computational Biology at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai. His research interests include bioinformatic algorithms, regulatory genomics, chromatin, evolutionary biology, and, more recently, machine learning and clinical outcomes. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and transitioned into biology during his second postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University, New York. He was a postdoctoral fellow at École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris (2000–2002), and subsequently at Rockefeller University (2002–2004). Dr. Siddharthan joined the Physics group at IMSc in 2004, and in 2013, they established a new research group and Ph.D. programme in Computational Biology.



Looking forward to your active participation.


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Abstract: Even in the absence of photons, quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic are predicted to exist within the framework of quantum field theory. The so-called Casimir effect, which refers to the attractive force between two metallic plates, is typically attributed to the existence of the same quantum fluctuations. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to the concept of decoherence, and the role it plays in explaining the quantum-to-classical transition of the macroscopic world. I will then suggest possible ways to measure decoherence effects due to the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. The eventual experimental detection of this decoherence effect might offer to provide new ways to test other subtle predictions of quantum field theory.


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News

Events

News

Axis Bank Post-doctoral Programme at Ashoka University

Apr 01 , 2025 11:04

Applications are now open for the new Axis Bank Post-doctoral Programme at Ashoka University.

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Ashoka News

‘In science, if you think what you are doing is a burden…

Sep 28 , 2022 01:09

Dipankar Bhattacharya, Head of the Department, Physics and the Sunanda and Santimay Basu Professor of Astrophysics at Ashoka University, elaborates…

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Ashoka News

Ashoka University’s Faculty Susmita Saha awarded the prestigious Ramanujan Fellowship 

Feb 17 , 2022 02:02

The Science and Engineering Research Board has instituted the fellowship to enable brain gain and offer Indian Scientists working abroad…

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Ashoka News

Ashoka’s nonconventional interdisciplinary approach towards natural sciences: The success of the maiden…

Aug 06 , 2021 09:08

The performance of the first Physics undergraduate batch upholds Ashoka’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching sciences.

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Ashoka News

Webinar – Why Study Physics at Ashoka? with Prof. Gautam Menon

Feb 20 , 2021 09:02

Join us on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM

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Ashoka News

Ashoka University and Life Lab Foundation Host Science Seminar on Higgs Boson…

Aug 04 , 2017 09:08

This event is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for high-school students and teachers to delve into the realm of High Energy Physics.

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Ashoka News

Ashoka University and Life Lab Foundation host virtual science seminar on the…

Aug 04 , 2017 09:08

The seminar gave high school students and teachers an opportunity to delve into the realm of High Energy Physics.

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Ashoka News

In the Media

Physics Colloquium

October 1 @ 1:30 pm

Physics Colloquium: Machine Learning Applied to Health and Disease

September 24 @ 1:30 pm
View All Events

Contact Us

For any queries regarding Physics programmes, please contact: -

Dipankar Bhattacharya

Head of Department

hod.phy@ashoka.edu.in

Garima Mishra

UG Course Coordinator

garima.mishra@ashoka.edu.in

Suratna Das

Ph.D. Programme Coordinator

suratna.das@ashoka.edu.in

Susmita Saha

Colloquium Coordinator

susmita.saha@ashoka.edu.in

Hiyaa Atreya

UG Student Representative

phys.rep@ashoka.edu.in

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